• Serena Williams, who said her first auto purchase was a while Lincoln Navigator SUV she named “Ginger,” has signed to become an official spokesperson for the brand. A social media-based marketing campaign includes videos of Williams talking about and driving the 2018 Navigator, with ongoing videos to follow. “Partnering with a brand like Navigator comes from a genuine place,” she said in the first video. “Let’s just be honest: Serena Williams needs to be in the new Navigator.”

• The Smashing Pumpkins unveil 'Shiny And Oh So Bright' 36-city tour, their first tour in nearly 20 years, with founding members Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin, James Iha. Produced by Live Nation.

Electronic Arts this week unveiled two brackets for the selection process: one composed of 32 old-school NFL players and one of 32 new-school NFL players, with the winner of each bracket facing off in the finals for the right to appear on the cover.

EA said it has received more than 33 million votes since turning over the process to the public at large in 2011. Last year, Calvin 'Magatron' Johnson of the Detroit Lions beat out Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton for the honor of the cover for Madden NFL 13.

EA Sports is overseeing the voting in conjunction with the NFL Players Assn. and ESPN, which will provide weekly updates on SportsNation. EA said the name Madden NFL 25 rather than Madden NFL 14, which would have been next in the line of succession, was chosen in celebration of the franchise’s silver anniversary. The game is scheduled to hit retail on Aug. 27.

Marketing support will include TV, print, in-store, Internet and such social media destinations as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Voting will follow brackets similar to those used by the NCAA Div. I men's basketball tournament en route to the Final Four. Round 1 runs now through March 20. Round 2 goes March 20-27. Round 3 is March 27-April 3. The Quarterfinal Round is April 3-10. Semifinal voting will be conducted April 10-27. The Finals will be held April 17-24. (See the full brackets here.)

The winner of the Madden NFL 25 voting will try to avoid the "Madden Curse," which has seen players either succumb to injury or sub-par seasons the year of their Madden NFL release.

EA Sports also is offering people the opportunity to win a trip for two to the Madden NFL 25 cover shoot on April 24 and tickets to the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft on April 25 in New York. (Full details here.)

“The Madden NFL 25 cover vote is the perfect marriage between two strong brands coming together to put fans in control of what they’re most passionate about and giving them a platform for their voices to be heard,” Brian Dailey, director of games and partnerships for ESPN, said in a statement. “Engagement has been strong in our last two Madden cover votes, accounting for some of ESPN’s most successful social activations to date, and we anticipate that to continue with the 25th anniversary.”

According to Anthony Stevenson, senior director of marketing for EA Sports, “Madden NFL 25 will be a culmination of 25 years of innovation when it launches in August and there is no better way to honor our incredible history than by engaging our fans in the ultimate debate of old school vs. new school."

“The Madden NFL 25 cover vote is the perfect marriage between two strong brands coming together to put fans in control of what they’re most passionate about."

Since launching in 1988 as John Madden Football, the franchise has sold about 99 million units and generated more than $3.7 billion in net revenue, according to Electronic Arts.